A fortnight of travelling around Europe has not sapped the enthusiasm of Newcastle Falcons, according to fly-half Phil Godman.

The Scottish veteran kicked a pair of penalties in Saturday’s 23-16 loss at Brive, their bonus-point defeat coming only a week after a bruising afternoon in Romania.

The upshot of Newcastle’s continental exploits leaves them sitting third in their Amlin Challenge Cup group, but poised nicely to mount a charge for the knock-out stages with four matches left to go.

Godman said: “Getting to the next stages of the Amlin would be a great all-round result for everybody at the club, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves.”

Back-to-back dates with Italian outfit Calvisano in December could put them firmly on the path towards the last eight, with Brive and Bucharest still to visit Kingston Park in the new year.

But with London Irish at home this Sunday in the Aviva Premiership, Godman believes a two-week Challenge Cup stint has provided them with the springboard to attack the domestic campaign.

“The European fortnight came at a good time for us,” said the former Edinburgh and London Scottish pivot.

“You would never class it as a break, because the Amlin Challenge Cup is a competition we want to win, but it has been good for some guys to come in and get their chance.

“A lot of the young lads have come in for their debuts and done really well, and some of the boys who played all five Premiership games have had a week or two to freshen the legs going back into the league games.”

Back for a second spell at the Falcons after leaving in 2004, the former Scotland international said: “I have really enjoyed it.

“When I left here for Edinburgh I always wanted to come back and play in the Premiership, and it has been good.

“It is a league where every result matters, and balancing that between playing the rugby you want, and not going into your shell.”

With two victories from five in the Premiership to date, pre-season forecasts of a relegation skirmish are yet to be totally extinguished, but have been put on the back-burner by Worcester’s win-less start.

Godman said: “It is still early days so far, but I am looking forward to the rest of the year.

“I think we are fairly satisfied, but I wouldn’t go much further than that.

“We could certainly have beaten Gloucester at home, and three out of five looks much better than two out of five.

“The two we won, at Sale and Worcester, were both tight ones which could have gone either way, and while it is not perfect it at least gives us something to build on going into the next wave of matches.”

Meanwhile, fellow Falcons half-back Warren Fury insists his team are unflustered by the continual referrals to the television match official which dogged last weekend’s defeat in Brive.

Director of rugby Dean Richards was vocal after the game about the disruption caused by the regular breaks for video adjudication that have accompanied the newly-extended powers, but Fury said: “It is part of the game, and you can’t really whinge about it as players.

“Our job is just to get on with things, but it does break things up when you have got some momentum going and the referee stops it all the time.

“We have got to be professional about it and not be affected by things outside our own control, and while we might have personal feelings about it, I don’t think it’s something we want to make a big fuss over.”